was of massive build and great height, and that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, pointed to a particular person and said, “Allah created Adam in his image,” meaning that Adam’s form was exactly like that person’s, without any difference whatsoever.

They should be told: The hadith recorded in both Sahih collections contradicts this interpretation. It explicitly states that Adam’s physical form was far larger than those of his descendants and that he did not have the form of anyone living today. Both Sahih collections report from Hammām ibn Munabbih, from Abū Hurayrah, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Allah created Adam in his image, sixty cubits tall. Then He said, ‘Go and greet those angels, and listen to how they greet you, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your descendants.’ He said, ‘Peace be upon you.’ They replied, ‘Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah,’ adding ‘and the mercy of Allah.’ Everyone who enters Paradise will be in Adam’s form.” He said, “People have continued to decrease in stature down to the present day.”

In the narration of Yahyā ibn Ja‘far and Muhammad ibn Rāfi‘, he said, “In his image.” Thus this hadith, which is the best-known of the hadiths stating that Allah created